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BY PI. G. ^^TJlx&Tl, M. E). 



\ 

Read before the Chautauqua County Society op History and Natural 
Sciences, at Gkeenhurst, on Chautauqua Lake, Sept. 24, 189t). 



Published iii\THS Fbedomia Censob, January, 1891. 




ijg^gj^^g^rg^n Class 

iBook- 



^M <^M %1JW) 



I / 



.ClTa. 



CVJ* 



THE OLD PORTAGE ROAD. 



An Eakly Attempt by the French to Establish Military Posts in Chautau- 
qua County, and a Military Portage Road from Lake Erie to 

Lake Chautauqua. 



[By H. C. Taylor, M. D., Brocton, N. Y,] 



As to the location and opening of 
a Portage road from Lake Erie at or 
near Barcelona to Lake Chautauqua 
at or near Mayville, previous to the 
settlement of the county by the 
whites, there seems to be little 
doubt. Its course was plainly to be 
traced, and the fact generally con- 
ceded. Even at this day there are 
traces of its existence, less strongly 
marked, 'tis true, for as in all things 
earthly, this work of an earlier era, 
under the etceteras of civi'ization 
and the ever effacing hand of time, 
is fast losing its distinctive features. 

Its starting point was on the west 
side of Chautauqa creek at Barce 
lona, within a few rods of the lake. 
Its course from this point was south- 
erly along the bank of the creek, 
passing the afterward location of 
the first grist mill built in the 
county, by John McMahan, not far 
from the mouth of the creek, in 1804 
or 1805, reached and crossed the 
now main road at the ancient cross 
roads, one mile west of the 
centre of the village of West- 
field, at the monument erected there 
a tew years since by Hon. E. T. 
Foote. (1870.) From this point by 
a south easterly course ii soon roach- 
ed the steep bank of the creek Chau- 
tauqua, along which it ran for a mile 
when it passed into a deep gorge of 
a bundled feet or more in depth, 



through which the creek ran, by an 
extensive dugway still plainly to be 
seen on the lands owned by Miss 
Elizabeth Stone, where it crossed the 
creek and by another dugway on lands 
for many years owned by Wm. Cum- 
mings, it reached the high banks a 
few rods from the present Glen 
Mills. The passage of this gorge 
was a work of considerable magni- 
tude. The west bank was so very 
precipitous that the passage of teams 
would seem nearly impossible, 
yet it is said that in later years, be- 
fore the road on the east side of the 
creek through the now village of 
Westfield was opened, vast quanti- 
tities of salt and merchandise were 
transported oyer it from Lake Erie 
to Lake Chautauqua for Pittsburgh 
and other points in the Ohio Valley. 
On the east side of the gorge the 
road was less precipitous and is 
now a public highway. After reach- 
ing a point above Glen Mills on the 
south side of the gorge through 
which the east branch of the Chau- 
tauqua creek now runs, and where 
the Mayville road is now located at 
that point, to avoid the rugged sec- 
tion over the hill it passed up the 
east branch for some distance and 
continued to the east of the present 
thoroughfare to Mayville, and reach- 
ed Chautauqua lake at or near the 
present steamboat landing. My own 



— 2- 



knowledge of the existence of this 
old road was acquired in the winter 
of 1827-28. In the spring of 1827 
my father removed with his family 
from New England to Fredouia in 
this county. I was then a lad of 
thirteen. We had almost for our 
next door neighbor Col. James Mc- 
Mdhan, the first actual settler in 
Chautauqua county. He kept a tav- 
ern on the west hill, and the bar 
room was often the resort of an 
evening of neighbors and friends 
with a slight sprinkling of young 
America, and at that day I had the 
honor of being known among the 
latter. Mr. McMahan was a fine 
type of the pioneer settler and a 
genial gentleman. It needed but a 
hint to set him olf into a recital of 
scenes and incidents of early life 
in Chautauqua, while yet a part of 
Genesee. I remember well how he 
would sit for an hour, possibly with 
his head inclined, his l)road and 
massive chin resting nearly upon his 
breast, gazing intently into the fire, 
stoves had not yet been iutroduced, 
and as if entirely unconscious of the 
presence of others and in his own 
peculiar style, relate facts and as 
sociations of his life of hardship and 
toil of 24 years on his farm near 
Westheid, and for some j-ears earlier 
as a surveyor in this and adjoining 
counties, but mostly in western coun- 
ties of Peunsyivania. [Mr McMa 
han passed through this county as a 
surveyor as early as 1795.J He seem 
ed happy in living over again all that 
had entered into his life duriug 
those \ ears. He often spoke of the 
old road, giving an accurate discrip- 
tion of it the entire length, and stat- 
ed that it was in use, more or less, 
when he came to this county as a 
settler in 1802, for the transporta- 
tion of salt and merchandise from 
Portland harbor to Mayville for the 
Alleghany and Ohio valleys, and con- 
tinued to be in use until 1805, when 
the route was changed to the east 



side of the creek. (The Portage 
Road as now known through West- 
field was surveyed by James Mc- 
Mahan in August 1805, and legally 
located the same month by road 
commissioners Thomas McCIintock 
and James Dunn.) To all these re- 
citals I was more than a willing lis- 
tener. The impressions I received 
are as vivid today as they were the 
next hour, and they have remained 
with me as some pleasant memory. 
The road was then, 1827, plainly to 
be seen at intervals and could be 
traced nearly its entire length, espe- 
cially the northern portion from the 
lake to the foot hills 

In his location of the road Mr. 
McMahan incidentally mentioned 
the fact that the first cemetery in 
the county for the burial of the 
whites was placed on this road, north 
of the ancient cross roads, on the 
west side, between the present 
main road and the L. S. & M. S. 
K R. tracks. In after years after 
my venerable friend had returned to 
Westfield I made a critical survey of 
the road myself, with an interest 
that it would be difficult for me to 
describe ; and in the month of June 
of the present year I again looked 
the ground over and noted the 
changes time had wrought. 

There being no doubt as to the 
existence of the road in question, it 
will be the object of this paper to 
make answer to the following, viz : 
Who were the projectors of the 
road ? Who its builders "? When 
built 1 and for what purpose ? The 
popular theory that the French du- 
ring their efforts for supremacy on 
this continent, at some time and for 
some specific purpose, had construct- 
ed this highway through the forest, 
however true, lacked authentic evi- 
dence. Positive data seemed to be 
lacking, but certain facts exist and 
they are abundant, which in a very 
lary[e de";ree warrant inferences that 
reasonably and properly take their 



-3— 



places in our mind as facts. 1 shall 
improve upon such evidences as I 
have been able i o collect, and present 
such facts and associations as seem 
pertinent and such as have found a 
place in my note book through the 
years of the past. From my boyhood 
up, I have noticed that in discussions 
touching this question, the impres 
siou has always obtained, that what- 
ever the object of construction it 
was one looking to sotae great 
achievement, some great scheme con- 
templated or in process of lulfillment, 
or both, and that in connection with 
it something doubtless did occur of 
vast importance, and that possibly 
had a bearing in shaping the destmy 
of the race on this continent. In 
this effort I desire to acknowledge 
my indebtedness to the late Hon. E. 
T. Foote for valuable information 
first brought to my notice, in con- 
nection with the road in question, by 
him, and published by the Fredonia 
Censor in Feb., 1871. [Affidavit 
Stephen Coffen, Col. Records State 
of New York, vol. 6, page 834.] 
Aside from this letter whatever I 
present will be gleanings from vari- 
ous sources. 

In order to a proper understand- 
ing of the question as 1 discuss the 
propositions named, it will be neces- 
sary to step backward as to time and 
for a few moments trace the claims 
of the English and French, respect- 
ively, to territory in the new world. 
You will all remember tbe historic 
fact that James the First, of Eng- 
land, claimed, by right of discovery, 
a large proportion of the North 
American continent Uuder this 
assumption, or presumption, as you 
please, for the purpose of planting 
and extending settlements in the 
western world, he granted to the 
London and the Plymouth com- 
panies in England bv letters patent, 
in 1606, certain rights and privileges 
to all that portion of tbe continent 
extending from the 34th to the 45th 
deg. of north latitude inclusive, or a 



strip of territory 660 miles wide, and 
extending from the mouth of Cape 
Fear river in North Carolina to Hali- 
fax in Nova Scotia, and from the 
Atlantic to the Pacific oceans, includ- 
ing little less than two million?, six 
hundred and fifty-six- thousand five 
hundred square miles. This was a vast 
territory, and it is not probable that 
King James, or the members of these 
companies, or any one of them, had 
even a remote idea of its extent. Of 
course our own county and State 
were included in this grant. Under 
these and some subsequent grants 
of less magnitude, settlements were 
made in Virginia in 1607, in Massa- 
chusetts in 1620, in Connecticut in 
1630, in New Hampshire in 1622, in 
Rhode Island in 1636. New York 
was settled by the Dutch in 1614, 
and ceded to the English in 1664 ; 
and from these and other special 
permits, or grants, other settlements 
were formed, until the entire sea- 
board from Maine to Florida was 
occupied. 

The large centers of population 
were upon the seaboard, but smaller 
settlements were pushed westward 
with vigor until the flood of emigra- 
tion began pouring over the crest of 
tbe Alleghanies, and adventurous 
traders were located at every conve- 
nient post on the tributaries of the 
Upper Ohio, and it was the design 
to open up the vast territories be- 
yond the mountains and secure the 
profits of a trade with tbe natives. 
JBeside this and an overweaning am- 
bition for territory and for building 
up a vast dependency of the English 
crown, as time passed on, from the 
turn of affairs it was more than pos- 
sible that their old enemy on the 
northern border would attempt an 
occupancy of territories claimed by 
them — the English — west of the 
mountains, and strong efforts were 
made to make good their own pre- 
sumptive title. 

France, from the first discoveries 
in America, had not been an idle 



_4_ 



spectator. She, too, was ambitious 
of Empire. Iq 1G03 the King of 
France granted to De Monts, a dis- 
tinguished Frenchman and a gentle- 
man of hirge means, the sovereignty 
of the entire country from the 40th 
to the 46th deg. of north latitude, or 
from one deg. south of New York 
City to one deg. north of Montreal. 
He sailed from France with two 
small vessels in the spring of 1G04, 
and in May made a landing in Nova 
Scotia. After trafficing with the 
natives through the season he spent 
the winter on a small island off the 
mouth of the River St. Croix, on the 
coast of New Brunswick, in a small 
fort hastily constructed by him. In 
the spring of 1G05 De Monts removed 
to a point on the Bay of Fundy on 
the west coast ot Nova Scotia, and 
planted the first permanent settle- 
ment of the French in America, calling 
it Port Royal, now called Annapolis 
— thus antedating the settlement of 
Virginia by the English two years — 
and giving the general name of A- 
cadia to that peninsula. New Bruns 
wick, and the adjacent islands. De 
Monts returned to France and three 
years after, or in 1608, by pei mis- 
sion fitted out a second expedition 
for the traffic in furs with the natives 
on the River St. Lawrence, and dele- 
gated the command to Samuel 
Champlain, who had before visited 
that section. 

In June of that year Champlain, 
after visiting various sections, landed 
at a point five miles above the Isle of 
Orleans, where he founded a settle- 
ment which eventually became tlie 
city of Quebec. This was the first 
permanent settlement in New France 
or Canada. After the fi)unding of 
Quebec, settlements were planted in 
various sections of Acadia and 
Canada in lapid succession. From 
the first permanent settlements of 
the English in Virginia and the 
French in Acadia and New France 
these two nations were parallel pow- 



ers in the American continent. The 
French, however, were singularly 
unfortunate in many of their move- 
ments, but with a perseverance 
worthy of commendation they con- 
tinued lo extend their limits and 
planted settlements over a vast 
extent of teritory. A trading post 
was planted at Mackinaw in 1667, at 
Detroit in 1670, at Niagara in 1679, 
and others were planted far into the 
western wilds, at Vincennes, Indiana, 
and at Kaskaskia in Illinois. They 
had also flourishing settlements in 
the northern border of the Gulf of 
Mexico. The English claimed teri- 
tory from the Atlantic to the Pacific 
Ocear, under letters patent, as we 
have seen, but the French, not 
recognizing, of course, any grant by 
the English sovereigns, claimed terri- 
rory by rights of exploration and 
possession, and planted their stand- 
ard where it pleased them best. 
Please bear in mind the location of 
the settlements of these two powers 
on the continent, say in 1744, at the 
opening of King George's war, for 
they remained relatively nearly the 
same, the English along the Atlantic 
seaboard mostly, but pushing west- 
ward and over to the Alleghanies, 
and to the great lakes; the French 
along the gulf and river St. Law- 
rence, and in a decided sense pushed 
westward to the great lakes and 
along the streams that fall into the 
gulf of Mexico, with a few flourish- 
ing settlements along the gulf. 

With us even at thia distance of 
time it is not difficult to imagine the 
spirit of jealousy and rivalry that 
existed between these two nations in 
regard to their western possessions. 
It is Haid that the statesman of each 
very well knew at this time and for 
many years earlier had known, that 
the time was approaching when this 
jealousy would culminate in a fierce 
struggle that would decide the su - 
premacy ever these western posses- 
sions. 



Ajs earlv as 167S that farsighted 
and intrepid French explorer. La 
Salle, suggested to the French gov- 
^ninent not onlv the desirabilitv 
bat the vast importance of a onion 
of Canada widi the Talley of the 
Miggiwdj ipi bj a line of military poets 
or forts, as a secnritj against the 
English and their advancing Bettle- 
ments aiong the seaboard and the 
eastern sloDe of the AUeghanies, and 
the government for a long series of 
years designed earrring this sagges- 
tion into efEeet, bat from exigencies 
occurring at home in the diapeof 
jealonsies and wars with their old 
rival, it was put over from time to 
time and it was not until 1722 that 
they came to feei the absolute reces- 
sity of a movement toward its aeoom 
ididmient. In this OHyvement it was 
the design on the part of the Freoeh to 
isolate the English settl^nents and 
coaSne them east of Uie All^;faany 
mountains — cut them off from the 
vast territnies on the west oi the 
mountains, and from the loerative 
trade with the natives inhabiting 
those seetJowR. Of course the Bng- 
lidi would not consult to be thus 
heouned in and confined to a narrow 
strip of tesritoiy eomparativdy along 
the seaboard, with their large ideas and 
pride of Empire^ In 1722, as I in- 
timated, eommeoeed a greut m litary 
strife, yet without actual dedaratkm 
of war for sooae years, that was <mly 
to eease with the destmetaon of the 
French power on the eoatMBent, in 
1753. [The treal^ of peace was 
not signed until 1763.^ A desol- 
tarj warfare wa= t-r: op am 
the part ot the i i oti 

thepart iftheEi. i v 

the adv:'-<; -i^ -'!:e i _ . ^ ^ ., 

and wi:_ _^ i _ -g 

Gecrges ^ . mt four years, 

from 17^4 1"^- - i intermitt 

inglv ' -^ 1 Fr^neh and 

Ii-i: :: .: ; - illed, 

- ; r i on the part of 
.-- Zi...;_ -■!:.' 17, 17-56. ar^ on 



1 



the part of the French on June 9,fol- 
loTving. Fort Niagara was built bj 
the French as early as 1678, but 
was taken and d»troyed by the 
Indians in 1684, and for a series of 
veairs remained in ruins and might 
have remained thus for many years 
longer had not the English in 1722 
established a trading p>5t at Oswego 
on Lake Ontario. [The Fort was not 
bnUt until 1727.]" This doubtless 
was the reason of Fort Niagara be- 
ing verv soon thereafter reconstruct- 
ed and reoccupied, oi in 1""25 This 
seemed also a favorat n^r-t in 

the matter of carrying out tiieir de- 
sign of uniting their Canadian 
poaseaBMms with the Ohio Yall^ and 
their settlen-ents beJow. by way of 
Niagara, Lake Erie, and some carry, 
ing place between that lake and the 
streams running south from the 
great waterdied along the southern 
shore of L-^V'^ T" '-'<=- The English 
oocapaLjj acent s^tle- 

ments were the move- 

ment cc ;■ 1 . r oe delayed 

with safe' The P^ngiiwh 

must be '.■: .: .i^ A_ rghanies, 

or the 1- rth- 

dre^^ Tes to the task with 

a ^ .of sagaei^ and vigor. 

" ther long dday, 

:: __- .__. - will not now stop 

to disfcuss, and it was not until 17:»2 
that the first ei^editMm to operate 
westoflKagara was fitted ooL The 
Harqnis Doqneene bad bem appoint- 
ed governor of Canada and arrived 
that year, 17o2.and at cmee eommene- 
ed his mJe by a grand miUtary review. 
He was poa^oos in his beazing and 
in a very marked degree failed of 
securing the re^ieet ci the yeofAe, 
only such reqieet was aetorded him 
as he eompelied by haraii 
The entapcise nponwhiefa be 
about to enter waa very onpopalar 
with the aaiU&en amd the people and 
load cries of diseoiitait were heard 
OD ererv hard ar-J f '.rc^ of a ribald 



— 6— 



character, in which the names of the 
Governor and his advisers were in- 
geniously made a part, were boister- 
ously sung on the streets of Quebec, 
and the ma'contentswerecniy quieted 
and made to obey the orders of their 
superiors by an arrest and incarcera- 
tion of some of the leaders. Gov. 
DuQuesne had undertaken a vast en- 
terprise, but he did not seem to 
realize its immensity and the dan- 
gers from various sources that would 
surround it, especially from the evil 
designs of the ambitious and un- 
principled adventurers of his own 
military household. He was warned 
by the Colonial Minister, M. Ro- 
uille, with reference to the establish- 
ment of military posts iu Ohio, "that 
no private or unworthy motives on the 
part of others be allowed to influence 
him," but this seemed the one favor- 
able opportunity of a long series ot 
years and he could not well resist 
the temptation to attempt carry- 
ing out the scheme so long had 
in contemplation, though his van 
guard consisted of but 250 men, 
whereas his original plan called for 
700 men ; and it is quite possible 
that he did not scrutinize as closely 
as he ought the motives and conduct 
of some of his officers; if he had some 
serious disasters might possibly have 
been avoided, for it is true "that every 
military movement, and above all the 
establishment of every new post, was 
an opportunity to official thieves 
with whom the colony swarmed." 
Beside the personal ambition of Gov. 
DuQuesne there was another motive 
that seemed to call for immediate 
action. The Euglish settlements 
were advancing rapidly as we have 
se^n, bat a s' range ne^.lect en the 
pirt of the oro visional asserablies 
had actually left thtm without pro- 
teciion. and tb3 entire western slope 
of tbe Alleghaaii'S and the valley of 
the Ohio wou.d be an ensy acquisi- 
tion. The Governor was proud to 
believe that he was the chosen ves- 
sel to direct and carry out this vast 



enterprise and secure for his King 
and country millions of square miles 
of territory and untold wealth, and- 
that his own brow, for his faithful- 
ness and zeal, would be crowned with 
the chaplet of fame. 

Duriog the fall and early winter 
the preparations for the expedition to 
La Belle Riviere were proceeded with, 
with as much expedition as the lim- 
ited resources of the colony would 
allow, and on the first of January, 
1753, the first division was ready to 
move. 

Just here, in order to an under 
standing of the discussion of the 
question in hand, I must be allowed 
to introduce an abstract of an affida- 
vit made by Stephen Coffen, a mem- 
ber of this expeditiou, before Sir 
William Johnson, a member of the 
Nevv' York Council, in 1754, and but a 
few years since, 1871, brought to no- 
tice by Hon. E, T. Foote, while sear- 
ching ancieno documents relating to 
the colonial history of New York, lo 
which I once referred. It furnishes 
the only clue we have as a s'arting 
point as to the old road iu question, 
and as the route of the expedition as 
originally designed, lay through a 
portion of our county, I will be 
pardoned I know if I present an ab- 
stract of considerable extent, as I am 
able to do, the affidavit lying before 
me. 

Who was Stephen Coffen ? April 
11, 1713, a treaty of peace was con- 
cluded at Utrecht in Holland, be- 
tween England and Prance, whereby 
England obtained control of the 
fisheries of Newfoundland and Labra- 
dor, and the whole of Nova Scotia 
was ceded to the British Crown. 

The goverument by the Eughsh of 
the territory acquired wa^j little else, 
ho\ 'ever, than a military occup ition, 
and that confined to the southern 
poi tion of the peninsula. Nine 
teui^hs and more of the inhabitants 
were French, sympathized with and 
rendered aid to them whenever oc- 
casion occurred. Annoyances to the 



— 7— 



English for a series of years were con 
tinuous, and misfortunes from this 
source were of frequent occurrence. 
The French were desirous of regain- 
ing this territory and entered upon 
this course of annoyance and a sys- 
tem of encroachments, to stili farther 
narrow down the English occupation, 
so that at some favorable moment 
they might wipe out the garrison at 
Port Euyal and rid themselves of 
troublesome neighbors. 

A letter from the Governor of 
Canada to the minister of War of the 
home goverment [Journal, Paris Doc. 
Vol. 10. P. 89.] speaks of the neces- 
sity of again acquiring the lost ter- 
. ritory, of the loyalty of the people, 
that they were able and willing to 
turnisb a large portion of the supples 
necessary for the subsistence of the 
troops who might occupy the coun- 
try, at least all the northern portion 
of it, as occasion seemed to them 
necessary. This the settlers did in 
opposition to all treaty stipulations. 
In all the wars between England and 
France, the colonies of both nations 
on this continent were as a matter of 
necessity involved, and various ex- 
peditions on the part of the English 
colonies were from time to time fitted 
out and did good service toward 
checking the aggrebsious of the 
French. The state of affairs being 
as we have seen, to counteract the 
mischief being done, the colonies un- 
der the direction of the home govern- 
ment, or at least at their suggestion, 
fitted out an expedition of 500 men, 
almost entirely from New England, 
in the fall of 1746, placed it under 
the command of Col. John Graham, a 
native of Massachusetts, [Col. Hist. 
Paris, doc. vol. 10, P. 90. Also 
Haliburton's Nova Scotia, vol. 1, P. 
139] and Lieut. Col. Arthur No- 
ble of the famous Waldo regiment 
at the siege of Louisburgia iu 1745. 
[Col. history. Paris, Doc. yol. 10, 
page 93.] The expedition was sent 
by water to Port Royal, i^AnnapoUs), 



and from there overland in the mid- 
dle of a severe winter (Jan. 1747) 
to the town of Minas, situated at 
the head of Minas Basin, an arm of 
the bay of Fundy, and in the very 
heart of the peninsula. This town 
was located in the center of a vast- 
territory inhabited by an industrious 
and thrifty population, intensely 
loyal to the French crown, and also 
under the control of a considerable 
force of the royal troops. A journal 
of occurrences in Canada by Sieur 
Cheron, characterizes this move- 
ment on the part of the English 
as the boldest movement of the 
war. The object of this expedi- 
tion was to build block houses and 
form a permanent location, overawe 
the people and effectually seize upon 
all the military posts belonging to 
the French, intercept supplies, etc. 
Their movements were well known 
by the French, but the expedition 
reached its destination without mo- 
lestation. Before a blockhouse 
could be built, however,or other place 
of security prepared, they were at- 
tacked by French troops under Capt. 
Coulon, Feb. 11, 1747. They took 
refuge in the few houses of the town, 
but were eventually overcome, 70 
[The French claim'ed 130 killed.] 
were killed and the balance taken 
prisoners. Of the latter was Stephen 
Coffen. Mr. Coffen took refuge in 
a house with Lieut. Col. Noble, who 
was killed during the engagement, 
and four others, Lieutenants Leche- 
mere, Jones and Pickering and En- 
sign Noble. [Halibuiton's Nova 
Scotia, vol. 2, p. 132.] From here 
we will allow Mr. Coffen to tell his 
own story as contained in his depo- 
sition to which I have referred : 

COFFEN 'S AFFIDAVIT. 

Stephen Cofl'en deposes and says 
that he was taken prisoner by the 
French and Indians of Canada at Menis, 
in the year 1747; [spelled 3Iinas. It 
was a French village in Nova Scotia 



— 8— 



and at one time a town of considerable 
importance. No traces of it are now to 
be seen, except the cellars of the houses, 
a few aged orchards and groups of 
willows.] that he was under the 
command of Maj. Noble (acting); that 
from Menis he was taken to various 
places by his captors, and after about 
four years he came to Quebec. That in 
September, 1752, while at Quebec as a 
prisoner, ho tried to agree with some 
Indians to aid him in an escape to his 
own home in New England, but the In- 
dians proved treacherous and informed 
the Governor of the plot, who immedi- 
ately ordered him to jail where he lay 
three months, after which time he was 
released. That the French were then 
preparing for a march to Belle Riviere, 
(Ohio) and he offered his services, but 
the Governor, Gen. LeCain (Duquesne), 
refused him. That he then applied to 
Maj. Ramsey for liberty to go to Ohio 
with the army, and that he was finally 
accepted and equipped as a soldier, and 
was at once sent with the detachment of 
300 [The Governor reports to his gov- 
ernment that there were but 250 men.] 
men to Montreal under the command of 
Mons. Babeer, and from there they set 
off immediately by land and ice for Lake 
Erie, stopping twice for rest, the last 
time at Toronto, before reaching Niag- 
ara. That they remained at the fort 
15 days, and then set out by water, it 
being April, and arrived at Chadakoin, 
on Lake Erie (Barcelona), where they 
were ordered to fell timber and prepare 
it for building a fort, according to the 
Governor's instructions, but Mons. 
Mora7ig [spelled 3Iariii] coming up the 
next day with 500 men and 20 Indians, 
put a stop to the building of the fort, 
not liking the situation, the river Chad- 
akoin (Chautauqua Creek) beiag too 
shallow to carry out any craft with pro- 
visions, etc., to Belle Riviere [the French 
called the Alleghany river La Belle 
Riviere, a continuation of the Ohio.] 



That the two commanders had a 
sharp debate, the first insisting on 
building the fort there in accordance 
with instructions, but Morang gave him 
a writing to satisfy the Governor on 
that point; and then Mons. Mercier, 
who was commissary and engineer, was 
directed to go along the lake and look 
for a situation, which he found, and re- 
turned in three days, it being fifteen 
leagues to the southwest of Chadakoin 
(at Erie). 

That they were then all ordered to 
repair thither, and when they arrived 
thei-e were about 20 Indians fishing in 
the lake, who immediately quit it on 
seeing the French. They built a square 
fort of chestnut logs, squared and 
lapped over each other to the height of 
15 feet. The fort was 120 feet square, 
and a log house in each square, a gate 
at the northward and one at the south 
ward and not a porthole out in any part 
of it. When finished they called it Fort 
La Briske \_Presque1 Isle. The Indians 
who came with them now returned, be- 
ing dissatisfied with the dogged be- 
havior of Morang. As soon as the fort 
was finished they moved southward, 
cutting a wagon road through a fine 
level country 21 miles to the river of 
Boeuf (at Waterford), leaving Capt. 
Deponteney with a hundred men to 
garrison Fort la Briske Isle. Then 
they fell to work cutting timber, boards 
etc. for another fort. Mons. Morang 
ordered Mons. Bite with 50 men to go 
to a place called by the Indians gana- 
garahara (Franklin), on the banks of 
Belle river where Aux Boeufs [the 
French called French Creek, Aux 
Boeufs (O Buff)], empties into 
it. Then Morang had 90 boats 
made to carry down the baggage and 
provisions to said place. Mons. Bite 
in coming to said Indian Place (Frank- 
lin) was asked what he wanted or in- 
tended, and he answered that it was 
their father's, the governor of Canada's 



— 9— 



intention to build a trading house for 
their and all their brother's conveni- 
ence, but the Indians replied that the 
land was theirs, that they would not 
have them build on it. The said Mons. 
Bite returning, met two English traders 
with their horses and goods, whom 
they bound and brought to Morang, 
who ordered them to Canada in irons. 
Eite reported to Morang that the situ- 
ation was good, but the water of the 
river Aux Boeuf was too low at that 
time to carry down any craft with pro- 
visions, etc. That Morang became very 
peevish, sour and sick, and was very 
unpopular with his officers and men, 
and that he wished his officers and men 
would confine him in the fort and set 
fire to it so as to terminate some of his 
disappointments, as he had promised 
the governor of Canada to finish the 
three forts that season, and not being 
able to fulfill the same, was both afraid 
and ashamed to return to Canada, be- 
ing sensible he had now forfeited the 
governor's favor, so he desired to per- 
ish in the flames of the burning fort. 
The officers would not do this, though 
they had tot the best regard for him, 
as he had behaved veiy ill to them all. 
That about eight days before he left 
Fort la Briske Isle, Chev. la Crake ar- 
rived express from Canada in a birch 
canoe worked by ten men, with orders 
(as he afterwards learned) from Gover- 
nor la Cain (Duquesne) to Morang to 
make all the preparation possible against 
the spring of the year, to then build two 
forts at Chadakoin, one of them by Lake 
Erie (Barcelona), the other at the end 
of the carrying place at Lake Chadakoin 
(Chautauqua), which carrying place is 
fifteen miles from one lake to the other. 
That Chev. la Crake returned immedi- 
ately to Canada, after which, when Fort 
Pdviere O'Boeuf was finished, which was 
built of wood, stockaded triangularwise, 
with two log houses on the inside, Mor- 
ang ordered all the party to return to 



Canada for the winter season, except 
300 men which he kept to garrison both 
forts and prepare material against the 
spring for building other forts. Morang 
sent also Jean Coeur, an officer and in- 
terpreter, to stay the winter among the 
Indians of Ohio in order to prevail upon 
them, if possible, not only to allow of 
the building of forts on their lands, but 
also persuade them to join the French 
interests against the English. Depo- 
nent further says that on the 28th of 
October he set out for Canada under 
command of Capt. Deman, who had the 
command of twenty-two Buttoes, with 
twenty men in each Batto, the remain- 
der, being 7G0 men, followed in a few 
days. On the 30th they arrived at Chad- 
akoin (Barcelona), where they stayed 
four days, during which time Mons. 
Peon [spelled Pean], with 200 men, cut 
a wagon road over the carrying place 
from Lake Erie to Lake Chadakoin, 
viewed the situation which proved to 
their liking, so set oflf Nov. 3d for Niag- 
agara where we arrived on the 6th; it is 
a poor old rotten fort with 25 men in it. 
We left 50 men there to build Battoes 
for the army in the spring. Also built 
a storehouse for provisions, &c. Stayed 
there two days then set oflf for Canada 
by water. That while within one mile 
from Oswego, all hands being weary 
with rowing all night, they landed and 
had breakfast, and at this point he, with 
a Frenchman, slipped oflf and got to the 
fort and were there concealed until the 
army passed, when they left and came 
here (Col. Johnson's). Deponent fur- 
ther says that in all, during the season, 
there came to Presque Isle about 1,500 
men — 300 were kept for garrison duty 
at la Briske Isle and la Boeuf, 50 at 
Niagara and the balance returned to 
Canada . 

his 

Stephen [X] Coffen. 

mark 

Sworn before me this 10th day of Jan- 
uary, 1754. 

William Johnson. 



—10- 



Lieufc. H. Holland, commanding at 
Oswego, in a letter to Gov. Delancey 
of New York, dated Nov. 8, 1753, 
speaks of these two deserters, the 
one an Englishman and the other a 
Frenchman, coming to the fort at 
the time stated [Col. Hist. N. Y. 
Vol. 6, page 825.] Six other de- 
serters from Niagara (Frenchmen,) 
came to Oswego the fore part of 
April the following year (1754), two 
of whom. Antoine Francois L'On- 
aque and Jean Bapti ste de Cortois, 
were with the expedition to Lake 
Erie, Chadakoin etc. [Col. Hist, N. Y. 
Vol. 6, page 833.1 They were sent 
to Sir William Johnson, and by him 
to Albany where they were critically 
examined by Dr. Alex. Calhoun, and 
the facts elicited sent to Gov. Delan- 
cey, April 12, 1754. Their state- 
ments, and the diagrams of Fort la 
Briske Isle and la Boeuf they pre- 
pared were in nearly every particu- 
lar corroborative of the statements 
made by Coffen in his affidavit. The 
English were well apprised in regard 
to this expedition, through deserters 
before it left Canada, and of the 
teal designs of the French. The 
thiee divisions of their army passed 
the fort at Oswego in the precise order 
and on the time proposed by them, 
the first leaving Quebec January 1, 
1753, the second leaving on the first 
of March, and the third on the first 
of May following, the last passing 
Oswego on the 14th of May, as we 
learn from a letter of Lieut. Holland 
commanding, to Gov. Clinton dated 
the next day, May 15th, and of Capt. 
Stoddart to Col. Johnson, of the 
same date. The plans of the French 
were in no sense disturbed until 
they reached Chadakoin, where after 
a fierce wordy contest between tne 
two commanders, M. Barbeer and M. 
Marin, the route was changed from 
that point to the present location of 
Erie, as stated by Coffen and the 
deserters from Niagara in April fol- 
lowing. 



I regret exceedingly that the 
building of the fort at Chada- 
koin (Barcelona,) was so suddenly 
interrupted. A few months since I 
visited the proposed location, as I 
imagined, though nothing but the 
peculiar surface of the ground gave 
me thfe least idea as to its certain 
location. But while there I cculd 
not help conjuring up weird phan- 
toms from the misty past and cover- 
ing the whole section with an army 
of Frenchmen, well drawn out and 
reaching to the foothills and over 
the highlands to Chautauqua lake. 
Many years ago I had the pleasure 
of visiting the grounds occupied by 
Forts le Briske Isle and le 
Boeuf. We have become inter- 
ested in these forts and I de- 
sire to speak of them more 
definitely, in fact this seems to be 
necessary in order to fully under- 
stand what is to lollow. Fort la 
Briske Isle was located on the top 
of a hill, or high plat of ground on 
the west side of what is now called 
Mill Creek, the stream that 
empties into the bay at Erie, at its 
eastern end and just east of the now 
Parade street, one of the popular 
streets of the city. It was situated 
in the angle formed by the steep 
sides of the narrow valley of Mill 
Creek and the bluff of the lake 
or bay. It was a commanding posi- 
tion. Coffen in his affidavit gives us 
a slight description of it, its dimen- 
sions etc., and others speak of it as 
built in the approved French fash- 
ion, with four bastions, one of which 
was evidently used for storing arms. 
The site is being gradually destroyed 
in the process of brickmaking. 
Many relics have been found from 
time to time, such as old swords, 
pistols, cutlerly, broken crockery 
and occasionally a coin, and the 
remains of bodies that had been 
hurried near by. A few years ago 
workmen unearthed what they term- 
ed a bay window of the old fort. It 



-11— 



was one of the bastions and had in 
it a large number of pistols, gun- 
barrels, hatchets and other tools. 
Many of these relics are now in mu- 
seums, and many in the possession 
of citizens of Erie and other locali- 
ties, notably in the collection of the 
late Frank Henry of Wesleyville in 
that county. [John Miller, Jr., of 
Erie.] 

The fort was a work of con- 
siderable extent and was not com- 
pleted and ready for occupancy until 
Aug. 7 of that year, 1753, over three 
months from the arrival of the 
French on the ground, not as early 
as we would infer from the affidavit 
of Coffen. It wap held by the French 
until 1759, a period of six years, 
when the report ot British successes 
in various directions, especially at 
Quebec, Sept. 13th decided them to 
evacuate the two forts between Lake 
Erie and the Alleghany river. Forts 
la Briske Isle and le Boeuf, and the 
Stockade at Venango, and retire 
from the country. They did not do 
this, however, but with the hope and 
expectation of returning within the 
next two or three years, not doubt - 
ing but that the English within that 
time would be driven out of Canada. 
Four years later, in 1763, the Eng- 
lish took possession of Fort la Briske 
Isle, and held it until it was stormed 
and taken by the Indians during the 
famous conspiracy of Pontiace, in 
May of the same year. It surrendered 
after the hardest two days fight on 
record. Upon the nearly level 
ground on the opposite side of the 
stream from the fort when held by 
the French, a village had grown up, 
and it is on record that at one time 
it contained one hundred families or 
about 500 inhabitants. It had a mill 
for grinding grain, and other village 
etceteras, and a Roman Catholic 
priest. This record was made in 
1758. Late in 1759 there was not 
a vestige of it left. The cause of this 
is legendary. One story has it that 



a plague of small pox wiped out the 
entire population ; another is that 
the Indians tomahawked eyery man, 
woman and child ; still another is to 
the effect that the people, frightened 
by the reports of a forward move- 
ment on the part of the English, and 
the unfriendly state of affairs be- 
tween them and the Indians, hastily 
fled, burying in wells their money 
and valuables. The latter story is 
probably the true one, the people 
leaving with the garrison. Until 
withm a few years, treasure hunters 
were busy digging over the ground 
occupied by the fort and the village, 
or up to the time the opening of the 
streets made city squares of it. 
Almost every square rod from Third 
street to the bay was at some time 
turned over. [John Miller, Jr., of 
Erie.] 

Now Jet us take a short sur- 
vey of Fort le Boeuf. Washington's 
journal of his visit to this fort while 
in the performance of duties assign- 
ed him by the goyernor of Virginia, 
as every student of history will re- 
call, locates this fort on the south 
and west fork of French Creek near 
the water ; that it was nearly sur- 
rounded by the creek and a small 
branch of it, forming a kind of 
island. Its location was just south 
of the village of Waterford in Erie 
county, Pa. [It was in fact located 
on la Boeuf creek as now known.] 
The road leading to it from Erie, cut 
out by the French, is still called the 
French road, and Mr. John Miller 
Jr. of Erie, to whom I am indebted 
for valuable information, informs me 
that it is one of the finest roads in 
the county Mr. Coffen in his affi- 
davit says that this fort was triangu- 
lar in form, but the Pennsylvania 
Colonial record has it that "four 
houses composed the sides, the bas- 
tions were of poles driven into the 
ground, standing more than twelve 
feet above and sharpened at the top, 
with port holes cut for cannon and 



—12— 



loop holes for small arms. Eight 
cannon, six pounders, were mounted 
in each buation, and one four pound- 
er before the gate. In the bastions 
were guard houses, chapel, surgeons' 
lodgings and commandant's private 
stores." But it matters little as 
to the particular form of the 
fort. 

Fifty years ago the present 
season I visited this fort. — 
The corners of the structure 
were pointed out to me, and the 
remains of a fireplace of one of the 
log houses within the inclosure. But 
I am of the opinion that these re- 
mains, and such as I am informed 
exist there to day, are not the remains 
of the old French fort. It is well 
known that this fort was burned and 
absolutely destroyed by the Indians 
within a short time of, and probably 
previous to, the surrender of Fort la 
Briske Isle to the Indians, or in May, 
1759. 

W. G. Sargeant, Esq., of Mer- 
cer county. Pa., writes me that his 
great-grandfather, Andrew Ellicott, 
m connection with Dr. T. R. Kenne- 
dy, wHo afterward built mills at Ken- 
nedy in this county, built a block 
house on the site of the old French 
fort, or Fort la Boeuf, in 1791 or '95, 
which, I understand, was for the pro- 
tection of their own men while en- 
gaged in a lumbering enterprise. 
The remains found there to-day are 
probably, as Mr. Sargeant seems to 
suggest, those of this block house 
built by his ancestor. There are very 
many facts connected with this old 
French fort and the French occupan- 
cy, in my own possession, that are ex- 
tremely interesting, and I am prom- 
ised many others by way of Mr. Sar- 
geant, also with reference to the 
block house named, that may form 
subjects for some future paper. In 
this instance, as in many instances 
noted in our American antiquities, I 
believe we have been groping too far 
in the past, when, on careful inquiry, 



we might find our originals much 
nearer our own time. 

It is said that the diary of a Cath- 
olic priest, who accompanied the ex- 
pedition under M. Marin and was lo- 
cated and officiated at Fort la Boeuf 
in 1753 and 1754, is still in existence. 
If so, it doubtless contains informa- 
tion of interest and value. Since 
writing the above sentence I have 
been fortunate in obtaining an Eng- 
lish copy of this diary, from the 
original which is now in the archives 
of the Dominion government, Cana- 
da, but with a single exception, 
named farther on, will reserve it as a 
text for further work at some time in 
the future. 

The importance attached by the 
English to the building of these forts, 
la Briske Isle and la Boeuf, may be 
seen in the facts connected with the 
visit of Maj. Washington to the com- 
mandant, M. de Pierre, m December, 
1753. Washington expected to find 
the commandant at Fort le Briske 
Isle (Erie), but he had been 
called to Fort le Boeuf (Water - 
ford) to give directions with ref- 
erence to the strengthening of 
the fort and the building of 
boats for the contemplated move- 
ment in the spring. Washington 
was greatly surprised at the extens- 
ive preparations made and making, 
and the number of transports along 
the creek — fifty bark canoes, and 170 
pine boats ready for use. The his- 
tory of that visit, as I have said, is 
well known, and its significance in 
this connection is seen only in the 
fact that in the main it corroborates 
the statements made by Mr. Coffen 
and the two other deserters rei rred 
to, and goes to further establish the 
truth of the whole relation. As fur- 
ther evidence of the reliability of the 
statements made by Stephen Caffeu, 
I desire to introduce the following : 

The past winter there died in 
Painesviile, Ohio, Mr. Isaac Shat- 
tuck, aged 81 years. Mr. Shattuck 



-13- 



was for many years a citizen of Port- 
land in this county, and a man of 
most perfect integrity. He was a 
neighbor of mine, and 1 often list- 
ened with a large degree of pleasure 
to the recital of facts and incidents by 
him, of early life as communicated to 
him by his grandfather. Samuel 
Shattuck, who came to Portland with 
the family in 1823, and died in 1827. 
It is important that I state some facts 
in regard to this man, Samuel Shat- 
tuck,as I had them from the grandson 
and the family, in order to a more 
perfect understanding of what is to 
follow. 

Samuel Shattuck was born in 
the town of Deerfield, Franklin Co., 
Mass., Sept. 18, 1741. He was of 
English origin, his ancestors coming 
to Massachusetts Bay sometime in 
the early days of the colony. He 
came of a hardy and adventurous 
stock, and was never at ease, even 
when a small boy, when stirring 
events were transpiring around him. 
He was a youth of perfect integrity, 
unusual good sense and the soul of 
honor. He grew up amid all the ex 
citing scenes that cluster around the 
life of a pioneer and a soldier He 
remained at his home with his father 
and his family until his twelfth year. 
The exciting events of the running 
strife that existed betv/een the colon 
ies and Canada before the formal 
declaration of war, commonly called 
the French and Indian war, fired his 
youthful spirit, and no amount of 
restraint could keep him at home 
with the family. He was not at all 
certain what he could do, but was 
certain that there would be an open- 
ing somewhere that would admit him 
to a participation in the strife that 
was brewing and sure to come, in 
fact had already come. Sometime 
in 1752 he left his home in Deerfield 
in company with some colonial offi - 
cers, ostensibly for some point north 
of Albany, New York, but we next 
hear of him at Oswego on Lake On- 



tario, quartered at the old fort on the 
west side of the river, built in 1727. 
The position he occupied is not 
known, but it is presumed that he 
was attached in some way to the 
officers' quarters. From here com- 
menced with him a series of adven- 
tures and duties performed as a 
soldier, that did not in fact cease 
until the last farewell was said at 
the disbanding of the colonial 
armies in 1783. I have thus intro- 
duced a slight biographical sketch 
of the youthful Shattuck for the 
purpose of placing him in evidence 
with refrence to certain features of 
the history of the old Portage Road. 
The young man remained at Oswego 
discharging such duties as were 
assigned him until the next spring, 
or spring of 1753. His recital of 
some of the scenes and events of 
that year and a pait of the next, I 
will repeat in substance, using my 
own words. He says : 

It was well known by Lieut. Holland, 
the commaudant at the Fort, and all the 
garrison, that an expedition had been fit- 
ting out through the fall and early win- 
ter of 1753-54, at Quebec and Montreal, 
and it was well known also that its des- 
tination was the western frontier, in 
fact some scouts had come in and re- 
ported that a large number of boats were 
in process of construction and nearly 
completed at Niagara for some service, 
presumably on Lake Erie. In all this 
we were not disappointed, for in some 
of the last days of March we were in- 
formed that an army of from 800 to 
1,000 men, French and Indians, had ar- 
rived at Niagara from Quebec. A day 
or two later an Iu<liaD, a trusted guide 
and scout, came in and reported that 
preparations were being rapidly made 
for a movement up Lake Erie to some 
point he could not learn, and by the 10th 
or 15th of April the expedition would 
embark in boats that had been prepared 
duriug the winter. News also came to 
the fort by way of Albany that the 



— U- 



French in this move had thrown off all 
disguise, and openly avowed their de- 
termination to reach the Ohio Valley by 
way of the Allegheny river and eveutu" 
ally their possessions below. They 
claimed to be masters of the situation 
and cared little what the English might 
do at that late day. Ihe orders just re- 
ceived by Lieut. Holland were to watch 
the movements of the French, and re- 
port as soon as their destination was 
known . Looking over all the facts in 
his possession he was of the opinion 
that the expedition by the lake would 
be a short one, and at ouco detailed an 
officer and five men to follow and watch 
them. On my urgent solicitation I was 
allowed to accompany them. We set 
out on the 7th of April for Lake Erie, 
following the shore of Lake Ontario until 
we reached what is now known as the 
Genesee river, then struck boldly into 
the woods, intending to reach Lake Erie 
40 or 50 miles from its outlet ; but as it 
happened we came in sight of its waters 
a few miles below what is now called Cat- 
taraugus creek. We were satished the 
flotilla had net passed, so we waited for 
it. The second day alter, as near as I 
can remember the ICth of April, it came 
in sight, and the sight was beautiful 
indeed. It was a line day and well 
along into the afternoon. We at once 
started onward, keeping well back from 
the lake, and encamped for the night on 
the banks ol a stream that 1 now believe 
to have been the Canadaway, a few miles 
west of the now location of Dunkirk- 
In the morning the boats weie out of 
sight, but we expected to overtake them 
easily, and in fact did so sooner than 
was agreeable to us as we came near dis- 
covering, ourselves to the Indians that 
belonged to the exi edition scattered 
through the woods They had lauded 
at the mouth of Chautauqua creek, as 
now called, and were already^ felling 
trees on the v/est side of thfi Creak, ap- 
parently for some sort of fortilicatioii. 



We were confident they had chosen this 
as a carrying place to some waterway 
south of the highlands. That night we 
slept some two or three miles back from 
the lake, jirobably near the east end of 
the village of Westfield as now seen 
(1826). In the morning we repaired to 
our place of ambush and were muv.h sur- 
prised, in the afternoon, to see another 
flotilla of boats, filled with Frenchmen, 
make a landing, a much larger number 
of men than the party of the day before. 
From some cause not apparent to us 
there was a cessation of work, and after 
three or four days the whole of both par- 
ties, with the exception of a few In- 
dians, embarked in their boats and 
moved westward. Here was something 
uuiooked for, but as we had been de- 
tailed for a special duty we had no al- 
ternative but to follow. We at once 
struck back into the woods and to the 
highlands, where we could look over the 
lake and at the same time avoid some 
straggling Indians that seemed to 
choose the land rather than the com- 
pany of their friends on the water. 
These redskins, all the season through, 
gave us more trouble than all things , 
else, and we were sometimes obliged to 
absent ourselves for days to avoid the 
unusual number that occasionally ap- 
peared to gather about, watching the 
work of tlie French. The wonder is j 
that we escaped discovery and capture, ^ 
but we owed all our good fortune in this 
to our leader, who was an old Indian 
fighter from Onondaga, and understood 
thtm well. After a few miles we were 
obliged to return to the rise of ground 
between the highlands and the lake, 
and at sundown were nearly abreast of 
the boats when Ihey made a lauding at 
the point where the city of Erie now 
stands. For the next two months or 
more there was considerable work done 
toward building a fort, but it must have 
been the last of July or possibly later 
before it was completed. [Marin, in 



—15- 



his report to Gov. Duquesne, says it was 
the third of August, and some other ac- 
counts say it was the seventh of August, 
but the facts are it was completed on 
the third and occupied the seventh.] 

In the meantime parties had been 
sent south and returned, and on more 
than one occasion there seemed to be a 
delay in movements that to us seemed 
unaccountable, but in due time the 
whole force, aside from the garrison, 
moved south, completing a fine road as 
they went, that other parties had com- 
menced. After three days they halted 
on the banks of a stream running nearly 
east at that point, where they went to 
■work completing a stockaded fort already 
begun. We were not idle all this time, 
but wandered away sometimes for days 
at a time, where small game was more 
plenty, upon which we depended for our 
subsistence. We did not use our fire 
arms from the time we left Oswego until 
we were well onour return, but depended 
upon traps and snares to secure such 
game as we needed. The design of the 
French was plain to be seen, and think- 
ing we had 'accomplished all we were 
expected to'do, we left for Oswego some 
time in September, where we arrived in 
due time with a full report which was 
sent at once to New York. I forgot to 
say that one of our party was dispatch- 
ed to Oswego as early as the first of 
July. It was not expected that the 
French with so small a force and so 
late in the season, and with the amount 
of work before them, would push for- 
ward to the Ohio valley that season, 
and their return was confidently looked 
for and with great anxiety. Sometijae 
in the latter part of October it was 
known that the expedition had not re- 
turned, and fearing mischief, Liaut. 
Holland dispatched the sime party to 
learn of their movements and report as 
soon as at all consistent. 

This time we took a course farther 
south and after reaching the highlands 



south of Lake Erie continued along 
their crest, keeping the lake in sight. 
On the seventh day out, or October 30th, 
as near as I remember, in the afternoon 
we came upon a party of nearly or quite 
a hundred Frenchmen rolling logs into 
a ravine in the bottom of a deep gulf, 
and digging into the steep sides of the 
gulf for a road, apparently, at a point 
that I now (1826) know to have been 
on the south border of the village of 
Westfield. They had, apparently, re- 
turned from Erie and were completing 
the work they began in April. We came 
upcu this party very suddenly and un- 
expectedly, for we had supposed that 
the whole matter of a carrying place 
had been transferred to Erie; in fact so 
sudden was it that had it not been for 
some adroit movements on our part and 
sharp running up the east branch of 
Chautauqua creek, as I now know it, we 
should have been seen, overtaken and 
of course gone into captivity. As it was 
we escaped and witnessed the comple- 
tion of the road from Lake Erie to Lake 
Chautauqua. On the third or fourth 
day the whole party embarked in their 
boats and moved eastward. We at once 
retraced our steps and about the 10 th of 
November reached Oswego." 

This is the story of Mr. Shattuck, 
and knowing the family as I did, I 
have not the least doubt of its 
truthfulness. Although traditional 
it goes far, very far, toward establish- 
ing the truth of the statement by 
Mr. Oolfen as to ti e origin of the 
old Portage Eoad and the date of its 
opening. I desire to introduce an- 
other relatior going to show the 
early existence of the road, its 
builders and its piobable use. It is 
from a letter of Gen. William Irvine 
to Gen. Washington, written Jan. 
27, 1788, and found in Cr ig's His- 
tory of Pittt-burg, published in 1851. 
Gen. Irvine had himself visited 
Chautauqua lake after the close of 
the revolutionary war, and in answer 



—16— 



to a letter of inquiry by Gen Wash- 
ington of Jan. 10, the same year, 
he gives many particulars of his 
visit and seenus to be particularly 
pleased with the waterway from Fort 
Pitt to Lake Jadaque or Cuautauqua. 
After reaching the head of Lake 
Jadaque he was taken sick and was 
not able to complete his tour of in- 
spection to Lake Erie as intended, 
but returned to Pittsburg. Previous 
to this he had examined other routes 
through Ohio, and the French 
Creek route, as to the best communi- 
cation by water with Lake Erie, and 
continuing his letter he says:^ ''I 
think I shall be able to afford you 
more satisfaction as I can point out 
a more practicable and easy communi- 
cation, by which the articles of trade 
you mention can be transported fr )m 
Lake Erie than by any other hitherto 
mentioned route, at least until canals 
are cut. This is by a branch of the 
Alleghany which is navigable by 
boats of considerable burthen to 
within eight miles of Lake Erie. 

"I examined the greater part of the 
communication myself, and such 
part as I did not, was done by 
persons before and subsequent to my 
being there, whose accounts can 
scarcely be doubted." Gen. Irvine 
made the distance from Fort Pitt to 
Venango by water, and from Venango 
to the mouth of the Conewango, where 
the town of Warren, Pa., is located, 
on horseback, and fiom this point to 
Lake Jadaque (Chautauqua) by boat. 
"I traveled about twenty five miles 
a day. Two Indians pushed a load- 
ed canoe, and encamped with me 
every night. ' 

Of the dictance between Lake 
Erie and. Lake Chautauqua, that he 
failed to visit on account of sickness, 
he says: "The following account I 
had from a chief of the Seneca tribe 
as well as from a white man named 
Mathews, a Virginian, who says that 
he was taken prisoner by the 
Indians at Kenawha iu 1777. He 



has lived with the Indians since that 
time. As far as I could judge he 
appeared to be well acquainted wit h 
this part of the country. I employ- 
ed him as an interpreter. He stated 
that from the appearance of Jadaque 
Lake it is not more than nine miles 
along the path or road to Lake Erie, 
and that there was formerly a wagon 
road between the two lakes. The 
Indian related that he was about 
fourteen years old when the French 
went first to establish a Post at 
Fort Pitt, that he accompanied an 
uncle who was a chief warior, on 
that occasion, who attended the 
French; that the head of Lake Jada- 
que was the spot where the detach- 
ment embarked; that they fell down to 
Fort Duqutsue without any obstruc- 
tion, in large canoes with all the 
artiiitiry, stores, provisions, &c. 
He added that French Creek was 
made the medium of communication 
afterward, why, he could not tell, but 
always wondered at it, a^ he expressed 
himself, knowing the other to be so 
much better. The Seneca related 
many things to corroborate and con- 
vince me of its truth." ^ * * * 
"Beth Matiiews and the Seneca de- 
sired to conduct me, as a further 
proof of their vtracity, to the spot on 
Lake Jadaque, where lies one of the 
four pounders left by the French. — 
Major Fiuiey, vvho has been in the 
country since i wa-^, informed me 
that he had seen the gun.'' The 
French Creek route was evidently 
not well thought of by Gen. Irvine 
and not worthy of consideration as a 
means of communication. Gen. Ir- 
vine, in a letter to Gen. Washington 
dated Oct. 6, 1788, says very decid- 
edly that "ihe navigation of the Cone- 
wango, 1 know, is much preferable 
to French Creek.'' 

The real reasoiys for the adoption 
of the French Creek route to the 
Alleghany by the French, as it ap- 
pears to me, I will give farther on. 

These statements by Gen. Irvine 



-17— 



together with those of the Virginian 
and Seneca Indian go very decided- 
ly to show that there was some other 
reason for the change of route from 
water to water than the one of eligi- 
bility. For fifty years after I be- 
came acquainted with these two 
routes and knew them, every rod, it 
was also a wonder to me that the 
one by way of Chautauqua lake 
should have been abandoned for the 
one by the way of French Creek. 
But a letter from Gov. Duquesne to 
M. Rouiile the French minister of 
Foreign Aftairs dated Aug. 20, 1753, 
explains in part the matter and gives 
some reasons for the change, yet it 
seems to me the grand underlying 
thought is not brought to the sur- 
face. This letter in very many par- 
ticulars is corroborative of the state- 
ments of Mr. Coffen, and a number 
of very natural inferences go to 
establish other statements, so that 
we need hardly to insist on placing 
it — the affidavit — in the line of tra- 
dition, but in every essential as 
facts of history. The Gov. says: 

"You will see, my lord, by the ex 
tract of this journal hereto annexed, 
the reasons which compelled me to 
reduce to almost one half the rear 
guard that I had informed you con- 
sisted of four hundred men, and 
those that determined me to prefer 
landing the troops at the harbor of 
Presque Isle on Lake Erie, which, 
very fortnately, I discovered, instead 
of Chatacouit (Chautauqua), where I 
informed you I would begin my 
posts. This discovery is the more 
propitious as it is a harbor which 
the largest barks can enter loaded 
and be in perfect safety. I am 
informed that the beach, the soil and 
the resources of all sorts were the 
same as represented to me. * * * 
It is regarded as the finest spot in 
nature. * =^ * A bark cuuld safely 
winter at Presque Isle, where it 
would lie as it were in a box." 

Farther on he eulogises the harbor. 



but complains of the long portage. 
These changes were brought about 
mainly through the dispatches of M. 
Marin to Gov. Duquesne, giving 
glowing descriptions of the harbor 
and the surrounding coutry. Marin 
in this adhered very strictly to the 
terms of his contract with M Bar- 
beer at Chatakoin Be this as it may, 
we all know that as far as harbor 
facilities are concerned simply, this 
route was vastly to be preferred to 
the one by Chatakoin, and I am of 
the opinion that these facts, as 
regards the harbor, influenced the 
Governor beyond all things else. 
Gov. Duquesne was not a little am- 
bitious. It opened up to him at 
once a vast possibility. In his mind 
a young navy and a vast commerce 
sprang into existence at once, on 
these inland seas, and became as a 
whole one glorious addenda to the 
French crown, as he intimates to M. 
Roville, the minister of foreign affairs, 
farther on. 

With Gov. Duquesne action fol- 
lowed quickly every decision, and no 
sooner had he learned of the fine 
harbor at Presque Isle than he dis- 
1 atched a ••Royal assistant Pilot to 
search around the Niagara rapids 
lor some place where a bark could 
remain to take in its load," and ex- 
pressed the hope that soon he will 
be able to report to his government 
that he had ordered the construction 
of such a vessel, and then says that 
"nothing would be of greater advan- 
tage in the saving of transport and 
the security of property of the new 
posts." Although this was an after- 
thought he proposed to make these 
new discoveries and these changes 
factors in this scheme of possession 
and colonization in the interior of 
the continent. The better route to 
the Alleghany must be abandoned 
for one less feasible in view of the 
grand possibilities surrounding the 
latt'-r. This afterthought of Gov. 
Duquesne, from whatever cause, was 



—18— 



seized upon as a glorious inspiration. 
The Governor was not a pessimist. 
No amount'of adversity or unfavor- 
able criticism, as far as this enter- 
prise was concerned, seeme.i to 
dampen his ardor or dim the glowing 
picture upon which he was just now 
gazing ; yet he seems to have had 
times of perplexity and regrets, and 
some doubts whether he did well in 
entering upon such an important en- 
terprise under so unfavorable circum- 
stances, and says that were he placed 
in like circumstances again he would 
better weigh his chances of success 
— he would not take the same risks. 
The landing of the French troops 
at the mouth of the Chadakoin creek 
(Barcelona) was not a matter of 
chance. The French were adepts in 
wood craft, and ha I critically ex- 
plored the entire route and had 
made maps of locations and every 
point of interest. They well knew 
what they were doing. In 1749, the 
Marquis de la Galissoniere was Gov- 
ernor of Canada. He was a hump- 
back, yet bis deformed body was 
animated by a "bold spirit and a 
strong and penetrating intellect." 
He was by far the most able of any 
of the naval governors of Canada. 
He saw at once the necessity of an 
immediate movement toward the 
accomplishment of . beir cherished 
design of a line of forts from Canada 
to the Ohio valley and ev.entually to 
their possessions below, and to inau- 
gurate the scheme he dispatched an 
expedition to explore a route from 
Lake Erie to the Alleghany liver, 
down that stream and take formal 
possession of the country in the name 
of the king of France. The com- 
mand of this expedition was given to 
Celoron de Bienville, who was "a 
Chevalier de St. Louis and a captain 
in the colony troops." The expedi- 
tion consisted of fourteen officers 
and cadets, twenty soldiers, one 
hundred and eighty Canadians, and 
a band of Indians. The flotilla in 



which they embarked , c nsisted of 
twenty-three birch bark canoes. 
They left LaChine, the northern • 
point of the island of Montreal, on 
the 15th of June, 1749, and reached 
Niagara on the 6th of July. They 
carried their canoes and supplies 
over the portage by the falls and eni- 
barkeJ on the waters of Lake Erie. 
On the 15th of July they landed "on 
the lonely shore vvhere the town of 
Portland (Barcelona) now stands, 
and for the next seven days were 
busy in shouldering canoes and bag- 
gage up and down the steep hills, 
through the dense forest of beech, 
oak, ash and elm, to the waters of 
Cbautauqua Lake, eight or nine 
miles distant. Here they embarked 
again, steering southward over the 
sunny waters, in the stillness and 
solitude of the leafy hills, till they 
came to the outlet, and glided down 
the peaceful current in the shade of 
the tall forests that overarched it." 
— [Parkman]. They reached La Belle 
Riviere at noon of the 29th. This 
part of the Ohio which they had 
reachpd is cow called the Alleghany, 
and the point was at the mouth of 
the Conewango, where the town of 
Warren, Pa, now stands. Here a 
very imposing ceremony took place. 
The men were drawn up in order, 
Louis XV was proclaimed lord of all 
that region, the arms of France, 
stamped on a sheet of tin were 
nailed to a tree, a plate of lead was 
buried at its foot, and the Notary of 
the expedition drew up a formal act 
of the whole proceeding. The 
leaden plate was inscribed as fol- 
lows : 

"Year 1749, in the reign of 
Louis XV., King of France, we, 
Celoron, commanding the detach- 
ment sent by. the Marquis de la 
Galissoniere, Commander General of 
New France, to restore tranquility in 
certain villages of these cantons, 
have buried this plate at the conflu- 
ence of the Ohio and the Kanaoua- 



—19- 



gon (Conewango) this 29th of July, 
as a token of renewal of possess on 
heretofore taken of the aforesaid Ri- 
ver Ohio, of all streams that fall into 
it, aud all lands on both sides to the 
source of the aforesaid streams, as 
the preceding Kings of France have 
enjoyed or ought to have enjoyed it, 
and which they have upheld by force 
of arms and by treaties, notably by 
those of Ryswick, Utrecht, and Aix 
la Chapelle." 

From this point they descended 
the Alleghany to a point twelve 
miles below the mouth of French 
Creek, where they buried another 
leaden plate like the first; another 
was buried near the mouth of Wheel- 
ing Creek in Ohio, and another at 
the mouth of the Muskingham, when 
the same ceremony was had as at 
the mouth of the Conewango. Here, 
about half a century later, a party of 
boys bathing in the stream saw the 
plate protrud ng from the bank, laid 
bare by the high waters of the river, 
secured it with a long stick, used 
half of it for bullets and gave the 
balance to a man from Marietta, who, 
hearing of this mysterious relic in - 
scribed in bome unknown tongue, 
came for the purpose of securing it 
from their hands. [O. H. Marshall 
in Mag. of Am. Hist., Mar., 1878.] 
It is now in the cabinet of the Am. 
Antiquarian Society. [Parkman.] 
Pursuing their course, on the 18th 
of August, Celoron buried yet an- 
other plate at the mouth of the 
Great Kenawha. In 1846, nearly a 
century afterward, this too was 
brought to light by the action of the 
waters of the river and was found by 
a boy while at play near the water. 
The inscription was nearly identical 
with those buried before except as to 
name and date. The last plate was 
buried on the 30th of August at the 
mouth. of the Great Miami. Tlais 
river was called by the French 
Riviere a la Roche. From this point 
Celoron and his party started north- 



ward up the Miami to the mouth of 
what is now called Loramie Creek, 
where was situated an Indian village 
called Pique Town, or Pickawillany 
by the English. This town after- 
ward became one of the most import- 
ant Indian towns in the west. His 
worn out canoes were here burned, 
and the whole party made its way 
with great difficulty over the long 
portage to a French i ost on the 
Maumee river, where thev were fur- 
niched wooden canoes in which they 
embarked and reached Lake Erie 
early in October. A month later 
they were at Fort Frontenac and 
soon after reached Montreal. Thus, 
it will be seen that in 1749 the old 
portage road through our county 
was in fact located. 

Some other writers make mention 
of this old road, and among them 
Pouchet, a French ofiicer who com- 
manded the French at Fort Niagara 
in July, 1759, when it was taken by 
the English under Sir William John- 
son. Pouchet wrote a history of the 
French and Indian war in North 
America, and in speaking of the 
route from Lake Erie, south, says : 
"The river Chatacoin (Chautauqua) 
is the first that communicates from 
Lake Erie to the Ohio, and it was by 
this that they, the French, went in 
early times when they made a jour- 
ney to that part." 

Sir William Johnson was sent by 
General Amherst, Commander-in- 
Chief of all the British troops in 
America in 1761, to Detroit to estab- 
lish treaties and trading posts with 
the Western Indians, and on his re- 
turn passed down the south shore of 
Lake Erie, and in his journal relates 
very many interesting particulars of 
his journey, some of which I will 
copy: 

" Wednesday, October 1, 1761, in 
the morning, we embarked at Presque 
Isle (Erie) where we had staid all 
night, with a strong head wind, con- 
tinued so all the day, notwithstand- 



—20- 



ing it improved all day, and got to 
Jadaghqua creek (Chautauqua) and 
carrying place, which is a line har- 
bor 'and encampment. It is very 
dangerous from Presque Isle here, 
being a prodigious steep rocky bank 
all the way, except two or three 
creeks and small beaches where are 
beautiful streams of water or springs 
which tumble down the rocks. We 
came about forty miles today, ihe 
fire was burning where Capt. Coch- 
ran (the officer who commanded at 
Presque Isle) I suppose encamped 
last night. Here the French, had a 
baking place, and here they had 
meetings, and assembled the In- 
dians when first going to Ohio, and 
bought this place of them." 

The baking place referred to by 
Sir William, was a circular piece of 
masonry of stone laid in strong mor- 
tar, three feet in height and three or 
four feet in diameter, and was built 
on the west side of the creek at Par- 
celona, where the first attempt to 
build a fort was made by the French. 
Another oven of the same character 
was discovered near the boatlanding 
at MayviUe, and was in a good state 
of preservation as late as IblU. 
Judge Peacock often spoke of it when 
referring to the times of the French 
occupation. The one in Barcelona 
was known to exist much earlier, in 
1802 the vear of the first settlement 
of the county. This also was often 
referred to by some of the early 
settlers, I am informed, especially by 
Col Bell, who saw it at the date 
named French deserters and 

others' escaping from the French 
prisoners, speak of the carrying 
place at Chadakoin, and there is 
reason to believe that it was at var- 
ious times used by the French and 
their Indian allies in various expedi- 
tions of a warlike character oiher 
than the one in the spnng of 1754, 
from its opening to the final evacua- 
tion of the country by them m 175J. 
Investigations develop continuous 



facts in regard tn this old road, but 
I have not time to pursue the ques- 
tion further now. 

Looking over the whole ground 
and keeping our text, the Old Por- 
tage Road, in view, I come to this 
conclusion : The portage, by way of 
Presque Isle, required a yast amount 
of labor to make it what it must be 
in order to a successful means of 
transit for their armies, stores, and 
supplies; and on the retirement of 
the army the last of October was far 
from being completed, and in no 
sense was it in condition to admit of 
use for these purposes, and besides 
this the streams upon which they 
had relied for the passing of heavy 
stores and ordnance had so far 
shrunken as to be of no use what- 
ever. Another season would be nec- 
essary to complete the work by this 
route they had begun. Serious dis- 
appointment, sickness and death 
clustered thick about them, especially 
at Le Boeuf, and it was decided that 
as the route by Chadakoin needed 
but a small amount of work, compar- 
atively, to make it passable, it should 
be completed for the first expedition, 
the one to be undertaken in the 
spring, the spring of 1754, and after^ 
ward abandoned as the chief route. 
This was decidedly humiliating, but 
there seemed to be no alternative. 
There is no direct statement to this 
effect, but in reading the dispatches 
and the old colonial records of those 
times, one is forced to these conclu- 
sions ; at all events, this arrangement 
seems to have been carried out. M. 
Pean with two hundred men com- 
pleting the work at Chadakoin as we 
have seen, the balance of .the army, 
with the exception of the garrisons, 
returning to Canada. The portage 
at Chadakoin was in the end to be 
but temporary. A vast internal em- 
pire, with all its etceteras, was to be 
built up, and the advantages to be 
gained from a fine harbor more than 
counterbalanced the disadvantages 



.21- 



with reference to route. That this 
plan was carried out, the story of the 
Seneca Indian that I have in part 
given, seems to more than indicate. 
There i« no doubt that the army of 
1,000 French and Indians under 
Monsieur Contrecoeur, that drove 
out the little garrison of but forty 
men of the Ohio company at the con- 
fluence of the Alleghany and Monon- 
gahela rivers and established Fort 
Duquesne, Apr. 16, 1754, actually 
reached its destination over the old 
Portage road in this county, floated 
over the waters of our own Chautau- 
qua lake, down its outlet to the Alle- 
ghany, and from that point tollowed 
that stream to their destination. 

From out-croppings in the letters 
and dispatches here and there as 
found among colonial papers, we 
learn that to secure a change of car- 
rying place from Chadakoin to Pres- 
que Isle, Sieur Marin had among 
other things promised that the en- 
tire route should be opened and 
properly equipped during the season, 
and that everything should be in 
readiness for an early advance ; in 
fact, the sanguine governor, Du- 
quesne, from the glowing letters of 
Marin and others, expected no less 
than this, in fact more, a de- 
scent of the Alleghany the same 
fall of 1753 and winter the party at 
a point he only reached late the 
next spring or in April, and it is 
quite probable this might have oc- 
curred had he adhered to his first ir- 
tention and made Chadukoin his point 
ii stead of Pi esque Isle. To be sure 
Fort LaBriske Isle had been built and 
was a pertect thing in its way; Fort 
Le Bouef had also been built 
and was sufficient for the pur- 
pose for which it was designed ; 
Venango was not completed, was in 
reality but a post. A very tine road 
had been built between Forts La 
Briske Isle and Le Boeuf, but the 
road bfclow was hardly commenced, 
and the streams that fall were a fail- 
ure, and the outlook was anything 



but encouraging. The work by the 
men thus far had been done at a 
fearful cost and vast quantities of 
property had been destroyed or lost. 
Marin had practiced deception, and 
had deceived himself also in the hope 
of carrying out a grand scheme. 

In his efi"orts to forward the work 
at Venango, being short of transpor- 
tation facilities, his horses poor and 
unfit for duty, be entrusted a large 
amount of goods and supplies to 
an Indian chief and his party to con- 
vey thither, paying him a stipulated 
price in gold and trinkets, but as 
might have been expected, the wily 
chief hardly got beyond the picket 
line before he turned his course for 
Ohio and was never seen afterward. 
This occurred almost immediately 
after Marin had written Gov. Du - 
quesne that the natives were very 
docile and ready and willing to do 
anything he asked of them. Sick- 
ness of some fatal character broke 
out among his men and it was said 
by deserters that some two hundred 
died and were buried in the forest. 
Of the truth of this as to numbers, 
tnere seems to be some doubt, 
though it is well known that the 
men suft'ered severely from lung 
diseases, dysentery and scurvy, and 
an unusual number were left 
to sleep their last sleep amid 
these western wilds. It was an 
expedition full of privation and 
extreme suffering, and those that 
escaped death and returned to 
Canada were haggard and emaciated 
in the extreme, in fact were little less 
than skeletons. Gov. Duquesne was 
greatly shocked at their appearance 
and said of them as they passed him 
in review at Quebec: "I- could not 
help being touched by the pitiable 
state to which fatigue and exposure 
had reduced them. Past all doubt, 
if these emaciated figures had gone 
down the Ohio as intended, the 
river would have been strewn with 
corpses, and the evil disposed sav- 
ages would not have failed to attack 



-22 



the survivors, seeinpf ihat ihey were 
but specters." [Duquesne's li iter in 
N. Y. colonial documents 10, 255 
Also Duquesne on Ministre, Nov. 29, 
1753.J Mariu, the commauder, a 
grufi, choleric man of sixty-three 
years of age, himself fell sick vpith 
dysentery early in the season but 
refused to be sent back to Montreal. 
He bore bis infliction however with lit- 
tle tortitude, and became sour, morse 
and peevish. The work hung heavily 
on his hands, dragged its slow length 
along, and the effect of it all upon 
his proud spirit, more especially his 
failure to accomplish what he had 
confidently promised, broke down his 
ph.>sical powers and he wished to die, 
and that the work at LeBueuf perish 
with him. He liug-red along under 
the most distressing circumstances 
until the 29th of October, but a siu- 
gle day after the army left for 
Canada, when he died. In an En- 
glish copy of the journal of the 
catholic priest, officiating at Le 
Boeuf and Fort Duquesne for the 
vears 1753 and 1754, which has 

" • T 

recently come inio my possession, 1 
find the following: 

•'BURIAIj op MARIN, OOMMANDEK IN CHIEF 
OF THE AKMY AT LA BELIiE RIVIEBE. " 

"la the year one thousand seven hun- 
dred and fifty three, on the twenty- 
ninth of October, dierl at about half- 
past four in the evening in the fort of 
LaReviere aux Boeuf, uoder the name of 
St. Pierre, Monsieur Pier.e,)0ut, Esq., 
Sieur deMarin, Chevalier of the Mili- 
tary and Royal Order of St, Louis, 
Captain of Infantry and Commander in 
Chief of the army at LaBelle Riviere.af ter 
having received the sacraineuts of Pen- 
ance, Extreme Unction and Viaticum, 
aged sixty three years. His body was 
buned in the cametery of said Fort, and 
that by us Recollet Priest, Chaplain at 
the said Fort, and during the campaign 
of LaBelle Reviere. There were pre- 
sent at his funeral, Monsieurs de Re- 
pentigny, commandant of the aforesaid 



army and Captain of lufantiy, and M. 
M. Du Huys, Lieutenant of Infantry, 
Benoit, Lieutenant of Infantry, De 
Simblin, Major at the aforesaid Fort, 
Lat'ors, keeper of the stores, who have 
sieued with us. 

Le Gardetjr de Repentignx. 

Laforce Benois de Hdxs, 
T. DE PRE Simblin, 
Fb Denys, Bakom Ptke Recollet. 

Chaplain. 

Sieur Marin was a remarkable 
man. He was chosen to command 
this expedition on acconnt of his 
great ability and peculiar tact in 
dealing with the Indian tribes, as 
we learn from a letter of Governor 
Duquesne to his home government, 
before the expedition lelt Canada. 
[Paris Doc. X. Aug. 20, 1753.J But 
he was rash and unprincipled, with 
an overweening ambition to serve 
well his King and country and build 
up an empire in the heart of the 
North American continent and do it 
in his own way. By his dogged per- 
sistence he possibly and probably 
defeated what might have been a 
grand success; for who can tell what 
would have been the result if the ex- 
pedition had reached its destination 
the same season, as it might and 
probably would have done had not 
the route been changed. But what- 
ever he was or was not he is deserv- 
ing of great credit for his p rsever- 
ance under such uutovard and dis- 
couragmg circnmstances. Thus end- 
ed the first expedition to establisaa 
line of French forts between Can- 
ada and the Valley of the Mississippi 
and the Gulf of Mexico : and really 
the master spirit of the enterprise 
gave his life for its success and sealed 
his work by leaving his earthly re- 
mains in the soil on which the most 
herculean efforts of his life had been 
made. 

I have thus briefly adverted to a 
few facjs and incidents connected 
with the eaily occupancy of the 



—23- 



western and southern section of our 
county, and their study has been of 
gi'owing interest to me; yet a thous- 
and things renaain to be said, but 
ujust be passed over for the present. 
Although much of the evidence with 
reference to the four propositions 
named in the outset is in a sense 
traditional in character, yet it seems 
to me that it is of such a character 
that the most skeptical can hardly 
fail of acknowledging its truth. 
That the deep solitudes of our coun- 
ty were the scenes of warlike dem- 
onstrations nearly half a century be- 
fore the first settlement by the 
whites (1802) now admits of no 
doubt, and that the old Portage 
Road from its associations has claims 
on us as a relic of the past, none will 
deny; and I believe our discussion 
has demonstrated with reference to 
the four propositions stated in the 
outfcet: 1st, that the old Portage 
Road was constructed by an army of 
Frenchmen coming from Quebec, 
Canada, by way of Niagara. 2d, 
that it was constructed in 1753. 
3d, that it was constructed for the 
transportation of military stores and 
munitions of war. 4tb, that it was 
actually used for the purposes in- 
tended within a few months after its 
construction and by those by whom 
it was constructed. 

It would have been interesting 
and perhaps more profitable had I, 
before writing this puper, presented 
more or less minutely a hi-tory of 
the adventures of some of the early 
French travelers to this section, such 
as Baron la Hon tan, who was an 
officer in the expedition of Gov. 
Denonville to Lake Ontario and 
Niagara in 1687. After leaving 
Niagara laHoutau coasted along the 
northern shore of Lake Eiie as far as 
the French Post of St. Joseph. With 
some western Indians he afterward 
passed to the south shore, but I do 
tiot find, as I once supposed, that he 
came within the limits of Chautauqua 
County, but having visited the 



counties both east and west of this 
county, he became so well informed 
with reference to the country, pro- 
ductions, etc., that he gave a very 
fine description of buth, the next year, 
1688. He was very enthusiastic 
in regard to the section near the 
lower end of the lake and refers 
with a good deal of animation to 
the wild beeves (bufifalos) found in 
"prodigious quantities" roaming in 
the forest. 

And that other French traveler, 
Charlevoix, who visited our county 
in 1720, who gave a glowing 
description of the scenery along our 
northern border, and the bright 
green hills in the background. But 
these and a thousand facts and in- 
cidents that I might have named 
must be left for the present for want 
of time and space. I may return to 
them at some time in the future. 

As I am an advocate today for 
Chautauqua county and its claims to 
such honors as may come froua mili- 
tary occupancy or military move- 
ments within her borders, I wish to 
refer to another thing that re- 
lates to ancient warlike demonstra- 
tions. Judge Foote refers to it in 
his letter of Feb., 1871, and Mr. 
Edson in his addenda to that letter 
also refers to it. I have reference to 
to the statement that a British ex| e- 
dition during the revolutionary war, 
01 in 1782, was fitted out at some 
point, and destined to operate against 
Fort Pitt, then in the possession of 
the colonial forces, and for two 
months or more rendezvoused on 
Chautauqua lake preparatory to a 
descent on that point. I remember 
very well of reading at the time the 
lecture of Hon, ISamuel A. Brown, of 
Jamestown, before the students of 
Jamestown Academy, I think in 1843, 
in wbicn he stated that an army of 
3u0 British and 500 Indian?, with 
twelve pieces of artillery, spent two 
months, June and July, around 
Chautauqua lake pieparatory to 
floating down the outlet and the Alle- 



24- 



glviny to attack Fort Pitt. I am 
not apprised in regard to his authori- 
ty for the statement, but presume it 
■was the same letter of Gen. Irvine to 
Gen. Washington, from which I have 
already quoted. This story has been 
discredited by some, and Judge 
Foote did not give it full credence, 
yet it might have been true and 
probably was true. It would seem 
that sixty-one years, or to 1843, 
ought not to have obliterated every 
vestige of so important a movement 
as this one. In older countries it is 
probable some record would have 
been j reserved, but with us in the 
new world, as we call it, the word is 
onward, with but too little reference 
to the past or its lessons. I will 
quote again from the letter of Gen. 
Irviue : 

"He," the Seneca Indian giving 
information to General Irvine, whose 
name was Kio?ola, "was constantly 
employed by the British during the 
late war and held the rank of cap- 
tain, and commanded the party 
which was defeated on the Alle- 
ghany by Col. Broadhead ; that a 
detachment c mposed of 300 British 
and 500 Indians was formed and 
actually embarked in canoes on Lake 
Jadague, with twelve pieces of artil 
lery with an avowed intention of at- 
tacking Fort Pitt. This expedition 
was laid aside in consequence of the 
reported repairs and strength of 
Fort Pitt, carried by a spy from the 
neighborhood of the Fort. They 
then contented themselves with the 
usual mode of warfare, by seuding 
small parties, on the frontier, one of 
which burned Hannaslown. * * * 
I remember very well that in August 
178..', we picked up at Fort Put a 
number of canoes which had drifted 
down the river.aud I received repeated 
accounts in June and July from a 
Cauadian who deserted to me, as 
well as from some friendly Indians, 
of this armament, but I never knew 
before then where they had assem- 
bled." 



This is all that has come to us 
from any source of a historic nature 
touching this matter. I have hereto- 
fore introduced tradition to aid me 
in my endeavor to learn facts, and I 
shall hope to re pardoned if I again 
introduce myself as a medium 
through which other like evidence 
mav be introduced that mav be of 
interest and may cast a gleam of light 
on an otherwise obscure page of his- 
tory. Fifty-one vears ago the pres 
ent fall (1890), or 'fall of 1839, 1 was 
in the city of Pittsburg on business 
and on my return to my home in 
Meadville, Pa., I proposed to find my 
way over the river road on foot. 

The second day I fell in company 
with an Alleghany liver pilot from 
some point above Franklin. Hts 
name has entirely escaped me. He 
Was a man ot fine physique, and in 
some Sense one of the most remark- 
able men I ever met. at least as far as 
general information was concerned. 
No subject could be broached but an 
ULUsually intelligent discussion on 
his part followed as a matter of 
course. During our long walk I 
learned much of his history and that 
of his family. He was then, he said, 
fortv-nine years of age. His father 
was born in what is now Chester 
county, Pa , and was a soldier of the 
Revolution. He was v/ith Col. Dan- 
niel Broadhead in 1779 on his expe- 
dition against the Seneca and Mun- 
sey Indians in August and Septem- 
ber of that year, but was seriously 
wounded at some point on the upper 
Alleghany, by an accidental dis- 
charge ot his gun, and left to die, 
but for some cause he never learned 
he was carried a long distance away 
by some Indians, secreted and nursed 
to health and protected for some 
months, or until strength returned, 
when he was allowed to depart, and 
in due time found his way to his old 
home. He very soon enlisted again 
and was most of the time on the 
frontier in some capacity, was cap- 
tured by the Indians in the spring 



—25— 



of 1782, and was as a prisoner, with 
a party of 300 English and some 
four or five hundred Indians on 
Chautauqua lake in the summer of 
that year. He said they were pre- 
paring to drop down the Alleghany 
to Fort Pitt ; that the expedition 
started at the appointed time, but 
for some cause not apparent to him 
stopped short of its destination. 
From this camp they sent out three 
parties in as many different direc- 
tions within a very short time, one 
of which pillaged and burned Han- 
nastown (a small village in what is 
now Northumberland county, Pa.) 
His father esc iped from the main 
camp after the return of the party 
from Hannastown and found his way 
to Fort Pitt, and eventually to his 



home. He did not again enlist. 
This is given for what it is worth, 
but I am convinced of its truth. It 
is almost identical with the story of 
the Seneca Indian and goes far to 
corroberate it and some facts in his- 
tory. In looking over the whole 
matter in the light of such evidence 
as I have been able to obtain, I have 
DO doubt but this expedition was 
actually undertaken, the British 
coming from Canada by way of Fort 
Niagara and Lake Erie to the now lo- 
cation of the village of Barcelona, 
the same route pursued by the 
French in 1753, over the old Port- 
age Koad and Lake Chautauqua, 
down the outlet and the Alleghany 
river as stated. 

H. O. Tatlor. 



THE END. 



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